Shaw seems to be down for webmail...what a pain when I don't have access at home!
Continues to be cool and sunny here. We've been using the fireplace and the olive wood burns so well...like coal really. They have a big brick bar b q outside so it will be great fuel for that. So much sun comes in during the day you rarely need heat. Very well designed because they have an arbour all along these windows so when that blooms there will be welcome shade. It great to use natural ways of controlling temp even though I would never give up the possibility of AC.
The house of our friends in Mexico was also very well designed for the continuous heat they get...around an indoor courtyard with no external windows and designed so cooling drafts prevailed throughout.
We walked down to the port yesterday...just 5 min from our house. Village even closer. Market day yesterday and the fellow I buy these wonderful roasted chickens from with all this garlic and herbes de provence in recognized me. I am a faithful customer when I'm here. Just wandered mainly this time...so much for the eye...will get into serious buying next Thurs morning.
We also joined the Carqueiranne library again...they are automated now but glad we experience the old system...very quaint. Got some mags on Provence and some CD's.
They're getting DVD's next week but seems like it's too much of a hassle to change our system. We' ve been enjoying Season 1 of '24' that we brought. Richard also lent us a number of movies so that should keep us going.
Will see if I can access this wretched email. I must learn how to get on Camosun so I have a back up. Jim's getting our train tickets for Paris and Brussels at the moment so ot here. Fot people emailing, a good idea is to email both of us because I often don't have access...Jim's is 'sexton@camosun.bc.ca'
Friday, February 25, 2005
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Photos may be coming
It seems the airport has wireless although no one in this Internet place seems to know anything about it. Will check and see if we can do it...feels a bit like being in darkest Africa here in regards to the Internet.
Whazzat...snow in Nice...
Yes, apparently snow in Nice. A colleague of Jim's had a lot of problems getting to work as he lives high on a hill in Nice. Continues to be cool but no snow in Carqueiranne and we get such wonderful sun during the day we don't even need the heat.
In 2002 I wrote about arriving in Nice via plane (rather than train) for the first time...always so wonderful to fly in over that blue blue blue of the Med but I mentioned it wasn't quite like spending a sleepless night in a cheap couchette fro, Paris then stumbling out bleary eyed to the wonderful blue of the sea and sky, palms, terracotta roofs; pink houses etc
I just read a description Slyvia Plath wrote on her first experience of the south of France arriving by train when she was 23 yrs old...wouldn't it be wonderful to write like this?
' Then, lifting my head sleepily once; suddenly the moon sining incredibly on water. Marseilles. The Mediterranean. At last; unbelievable, the moon on that sea, that azure sea I dreamed about on maps in sixth grade.
The Med..Sleep again, and at last the pink vin rose light of dawn along the back of the hills in that strange country/ Red earth, orange tiled villas in yelloz and peach and aqua, and the blast, the blue blast of the sea on the right. The Cote d'Azure. A new country; a nez year: spiked zith a green explosion of palms; cacti sprouting vegetable octopuses with spiky tentacles, and the red sun rising like the eye of God out of a screaming blue sea'
Ahh yes...exactly like that...thank you Slyvia!
In 2002 I wrote about arriving in Nice via plane (rather than train) for the first time...always so wonderful to fly in over that blue blue blue of the Med but I mentioned it wasn't quite like spending a sleepless night in a cheap couchette fro, Paris then stumbling out bleary eyed to the wonderful blue of the sea and sky, palms, terracotta roofs; pink houses etc
I just read a description Slyvia Plath wrote on her first experience of the south of France arriving by train when she was 23 yrs old...wouldn't it be wonderful to write like this?
' Then, lifting my head sleepily once; suddenly the moon sining incredibly on water. Marseilles. The Mediterranean. At last; unbelievable, the moon on that sea, that azure sea I dreamed about on maps in sixth grade.
The Med..Sleep again, and at last the pink vin rose light of dawn along the back of the hills in that strange country/ Red earth, orange tiled villas in yelloz and peach and aqua, and the blast, the blue blast of the sea on the right. The Cote d'Azure. A new country; a nez year: spiked zith a green explosion of palms; cacti sprouting vegetable octopuses with spiky tentacles, and the red sun rising like the eye of God out of a screaming blue sea'
Ahh yes...exactly like that...thank you Slyvia!
Monday, February 21, 2005
To everyone who reads this blog....
Remember how much fun we had painting the ocean in my basement!
I have another idea...
As much as I love the south of France I get homesick for my beloved West Coast so I want you to draw, paint, etc something to remind me of home on a 4 x 6 piece of paper and send it as a postcard or some other format if you like. It can be stick figures...NO ONE gets off!
I will be looking in my mailbox with great anticipation...
P.S.
Wireless seems a strange idea in France so so far I can't post my photos but I'm working on it.
I have another idea...
As much as I love the south of France I get homesick for my beloved West Coast so I want you to draw, paint, etc something to remind me of home on a 4 x 6 piece of paper and send it as a postcard or some other format if you like. It can be stick figures...NO ONE gets off!
I will be looking in my mailbox with great anticipation...
P.S.
Wireless seems a strange idea in France so so far I can't post my photos but I'm working on it.
Finalement en contact!
Bonjour de la France!
Spelling may be odd as Fr keyboard very different....takes a while to get used to it.
We've ended up in a fabulous villa in Carqueiranne and are not missing our little apartment in the port at all even though we don't have a view. We do have a huge place with four bedrooms up, gigantic bathroom with soaker tub for two, place for candles, wine, etc and big walk in shower...all very unusual in our experience in France. Separate kitchen, big living room with fireplace and supply of olive wood, dining room....all on a protected southern exposure and glass doors everywhere...fabulous sun all day.
We look out on a large private garden with a private pool, palm trees, orange tree, olive tree, mimosa and loads of other bushes and plants...will be interesting to see what blooms. Our landlords lived here with their two children but now have a hobby vinyard and continue to teach full time. They left us a bottle of rose and red...rose very special...tastes very much of the earth (they sell their grapes to a coop that makes a cotes de Provence appellation controle)
It's just great being back in this lovely little village and just about the first thing we did was have a huge bucket of mussels and frites sitting outside in a restaurant on the port. Have been having wonderful cheeses, wines, various pastis you can't get in Victoria (we're making a collecttion for you to taste, Don)
Went to a flea market yesterday and bought boules so we can play petanque. Also got some more pastis paraphenalia
We have a cellphone so please call (remember we're 8 hours ahead)
001 33 663 434 810
Address is c\o
Pratch
4 les Mas d'Audrey
83320 Carqueiranne
France
I would love to get some mail!
Spelling may be odd as Fr keyboard very different....takes a while to get used to it.
We've ended up in a fabulous villa in Carqueiranne and are not missing our little apartment in the port at all even though we don't have a view. We do have a huge place with four bedrooms up, gigantic bathroom with soaker tub for two, place for candles, wine, etc and big walk in shower...all very unusual in our experience in France. Separate kitchen, big living room with fireplace and supply of olive wood, dining room....all on a protected southern exposure and glass doors everywhere...fabulous sun all day.
We look out on a large private garden with a private pool, palm trees, orange tree, olive tree, mimosa and loads of other bushes and plants...will be interesting to see what blooms. Our landlords lived here with their two children but now have a hobby vinyard and continue to teach full time. They left us a bottle of rose and red...rose very special...tastes very much of the earth (they sell their grapes to a coop that makes a cotes de Provence appellation controle)
It's just great being back in this lovely little village and just about the first thing we did was have a huge bucket of mussels and frites sitting outside in a restaurant on the port. Have been having wonderful cheeses, wines, various pastis you can't get in Victoria (we're making a collecttion for you to taste, Don)
Went to a flea market yesterday and bought boules so we can play petanque. Also got some more pastis paraphenalia
We have a cellphone so please call (remember we're 8 hours ahead)
001 33 663 434 810
Address is c\o
Pratch
4 les Mas d'Audrey
83320 Carqueiranne
France
I would love to get some mail!
Sunday, February 13, 2005
One last thing...
It really helps if people send me an email after tomorrow because it makes it so much easier for me using webmail and that crazy French keyboard if I just have to "reply" rather than "compose". Thanks!
Next stop Nice
This will be my last post until we get sorted out with everything in France and get access to wireless or an Internet cafe.
Looks like it's going to be a great day for flying tomorrow. I do love the trip from Frankfurt...mountains all the way then into Nice's airport which is right on the Mediterranean and we can pretty much count on the weather being sunny and warm.
The first time we did this we arrived around Jan 25 and it was so warm we felt like looking for our shorts and go walking but instead decided to crack open a bottle of rosé wine from the mini bar and watch the sun go down from our balcony overlooking the Promenade des Anglais.
This is a picture I took the next morning from the balcony as the sun was rising...jet lag makes you want to get up real early....
From the Hotel Suisse brochure...Don and Elaine...I'm sure you're going to love it there...great location.
Thanks Annette and Larry for a super dinner last night...it was great to see everyone!
Au revoir!
Looks like it's going to be a great day for flying tomorrow. I do love the trip from Frankfurt...mountains all the way then into Nice's airport which is right on the Mediterranean and we can pretty much count on the weather being sunny and warm.
The first time we did this we arrived around Jan 25 and it was so warm we felt like looking for our shorts and go walking but instead decided to crack open a bottle of rosé wine from the mini bar and watch the sun go down from our balcony overlooking the Promenade des Anglais.
This is a picture I took the next morning from the balcony as the sun was rising...jet lag makes you want to get up real early....
From the Hotel Suisse brochure...Don and Elaine...I'm sure you're going to love it there...great location.
Thanks Annette and Larry for a super dinner last night...it was great to see everyone!
Au revoir!
Friday, February 11, 2005
Cherry blossom time
Testing out flickr again...
We will miss seeing these trees come out completely this year but the mimosas in the south of France will compensate...gorgeous yellow blossoms everywhere!
Low tech - high tech
I read an interesting article about lobster fishermen in Brazil. As is the case in most fishing industries the stocks have dwindled so it isn't economically viable for people to use large gas powered boats so they have gone back to their small sail boats that are economical to buy, maintain, and run. But they all also have a GPS sytem on board!
There are still fishermen who go out from our little village of Carqueiranne in these small, old, wooden boats that you see in the picture below.
The port of Carqueiranne.
In our first stay there in 2002 I saw a fisherman come in from our apartment and went down and bought some fish from him. I decided to paint them...my first painting in France and after I had taken Absolute Beginner Painting and wondered if I would actually paint anything. That got me started and I painted a total of 32 that year. This painting continues to mean a lot to me. BTW, we ate the fish afterward and they tasted fantastic.
There are still fishermen who go out from our little village of Carqueiranne in these small, old, wooden boats that you see in the picture below.
The port of Carqueiranne.
In our first stay there in 2002 I saw a fisherman come in from our apartment and went down and bought some fish from him. I decided to paint them...my first painting in France and after I had taken Absolute Beginner Painting and wondered if I would actually paint anything. That got me started and I painted a total of 32 that year. This painting continues to mean a lot to me. BTW, we ate the fish afterward and they tasted fantastic.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Amazing nests
Isn't there an amazing number of nests in this tree...wonder what birds they are and if these nest are occupied in the Spring?
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